JAZZ REVIEW : Cables-Forman: Interactive at Loa

Regrettably, tonight and Sunday will be the last chances, until further notice, to hear one of the most compactly remarkable groups ever to play at the Loa in Santa Monica: the exciting duo of pianist George Cables and guitarist Bruce Forman.

The absence of bass and drums is never a factor; these two could probably outswing a 16-man band. Their togetherness is almost frightening, bordering on ESP. Playing Monk’s “I Mean You,” they use the main phrase in counterpoint, tossed it back and forth, turning it every which way but tight. Charlie Parker’s “Billie’s Bounce” was taken at a tempo that demolished an entire 12-bar chorus every 10 seconds, with Forman unleashing single-note lines of unbelievable celerity and Cables matching him in inventive intensity.

Both men are composers of rare merit. “Helen’s Song,” by Cables, is a work of restrained, elegiac beauty, as is Forman’s “Circular.” Another Forman piece, “Mutt and Jeff,” is a masterpiece of rhythmic and dynamic contrasts, indicating clearly how well the men understand each other’s nuances. (They have worked together off and on for four years and have an album on Concord.)

Although both men have fine credentials elsewhere (Cables has worked with Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon; Forman with Richie Cole; both have been sidemen with Bobby Hutcherson), their intuitive interaction as a team outdistances anything else they have accomplished. One could only hope that they will find a way to make their partnership more than a sometime thing.